Eternal Love
by LirialRaito
Summary: All wars are over, and the gundam pilots, especially heero, need to find ways to adjust to their new lives of peace. Chapter 7, finally out! Please, R&R, and vote!
1. Eternal Love - Chapter 1: Adjustment

Disclaimer: I don't Own Gundam Wing or any other anime.   
So, don't bother suing, me, I'm too poor to give you anything.  
  
  
Eternal Love chapter 1: Adjustment  
  
Standing in the miday sun he found it easy to forget...   
to forget the war, his past, and all the deaths he had caused.   
He knew that he would never find true peace.   
He didn't deserve peace. But for a moment, he could have temporary peace.   
He wondered if he should pray for the girl who's grave he stood at, but that was   
something Duo might do, not him.   
He didn't know how to pray, and the baka wasn't there to ask.  
  
"Heero? It's time to leave Heero. I know she meant a lot to you,   
but the living need you now... I need you now. "  
  
He turned away from the grave to look at the young woman standing behind him.  
Her blue eyes were shadowed with concern, though the sun shone happily upon  
her golden hair. He would have flinched at her apperance if he wasn't  
trained so well not to. She was a grown version of the little girl that continued  
to haunt his dreams.  
  
"You don't need me Relena. My life is cheap and worthless now that the war is over."   
  
She looked at him a bit saddly.  
"Oh Heero... don't feel that way, you just need more time to adjust to the peace.  
Oz is gone, and Maramaia no longer wishes to fight either.   
The Barton foundation is gone. There is no more war, and there never will be."  
  
She reached out to tought his arm, then took his hand in her own.  
"I'll help you, if you let me. I am your friend afterall."  
She smiled at him gently, a smile that could probably make anyone,  
but Heero or Wufei, smile in return. Still, he could feel her heart's warmth   
reaching out to try and warm his own heart.  
  
"I know you mean well Relena, but I know that I need to be alone to   
finish my... adjustment, to peace. I'd probably just end up hurting you without meaning too."  
  
"But.. but Heero... we.."  
  
He held up a hand to stop her from continuing that sentance.  
  
"I know what you think Relena, but I know what I have to do, and that I have to do so alone.   
Please, try to understand."  
He looked at her steadily until she dropped her gaze to the ground.  
"Okay Heero... do what you have to too do, but please, come back to me,   
at least for a visit, when you are at peace. Please?  
  
Heero nodded his head then walked away.  
"I promise Relena, I'll come to see you when I am at peace."  
  
Relena watched him walk away, then bent down to look at the grave he   
had been staring at.   
  
--- Lirial Macey, and her puppy Mary. I wonder who she was to have meant  
so much to Heero? Why does he keep coming here to visit her grave?----   
  
She shook her head before returning to her car.  
"Take me home."  
"Yes miss Relena."  
  
As the car pulled away from the cemetary Relena Dorlian pulled out a picture   
of her and Heero dancing. A sticker was attached to it with the caption 'Eternal Love'.  
One of her friends had taken the picture during St. Gabriel's dance party shortly after her   
father's death, and had given the picture to Relena as a reminder of the happy moments in   
her life. She had kept the picture with her ever since that day, especially since  
Heero had guarded her from the OZ mobile suits, and then had been unable to kill her.  
He had been so determined to kill her, yet had been unable too.   
  
----I still wonder why...----  
  
She looked away from the picture and her confused memories,   
out at the countryside that sped apast her.   
She hadn't had any answers then, and she didn't have many now.  
She loved Heero, very much, but he still didn't seem to love her back.  
  
----Oh well... I've waited this long, why not a bit longer?  
I'm sure in time he'll realize, that we're meant to be together!----  
  
She smiles at the thought and hummed a love song as images of Heero  
danced round about in her head.   
  
  
  
To Be Continued: (well, if anyone offers me a review, that is. Authors need feedback!) 


	2. Eternal Love - Chapter 2: A New Start

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any other anime story.  
Any original characters are my own property, but seeing   
as how I am on the Internet posting this, that doesn't really matter.  
  
AN: Thanks to all you wonderful people who left reviews, I do check   
my author alert to see if I have gotten any :)  
  
--.. writing ..-- indicate thoughts.  
  
Eternal Love Chapter 2: A New Start  
  
He stood on the side walking looking around, though he didn't really   
see anything. His eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts, but an   
ocassional flicker of deep sadness. He had stood there for hours by now  
and no one seemed to notice. He was a ghost of who he once was, and as   
unseen. The sadness flickered again, staying a few moments longer than  
before. A young girl exited a candy store across from where he stood,  
laughing as her little puppy tried to jump and steal her candy.  
  
A light breeze wove around the girl as she tipped her face up to the sun,  
reaching up to hold her hat on. The light turned her hair into golden fire,  
and made her eyes an even truer blue. Her face showed no cares in the world,  
no pain, only happiness. Looking back down to view her surroundings she   
she watched him, watching her. A few moments passed and her mother also  
exited the store.  
  
"Lirial, how many have I told you not to leave the store without me? Some  
stranger might try to kidnap you, or something..."   
The woman trailed off as her daughter ignored her, and continued to watch the man.  
He smiled slightly and walked towards Lirial and her mother.  
  
"Excuse me ma'am, but your daughter is quite lovely, like yourself. You seem...  
trustworthy, ne? I'm new here, and I was wondering if you might be able to  
recommend a good place to stay until I can find an apartment."  
  
Lirial's mother looked taken back for a moment, then smiled slightly trying to not  
appear nervous. Her eyes and hair were identical to her daughters.  
"Well, if you want you can rent with me for a little while... I'm leasing out  
a part of our house." No mention was made of why.  
  
He nodded and tried to smile, "Arigato, that is very kind of you."  
  
--... What a strange person. He seems lost. ..-- Lirial thought, a thought  
that was echoed silently by her mother.  
  
The woman cleared her throat lightly, and held out her hand. "I'm Relene, and   
this is my daughter Lirial." She smiled as gently as she could and tried to relax.  
  
He stared at Relene for a moment, suprise flickering in his cobolt eyes as the breeze  
teased playfully with his dark moss green hair (an: I heard that is his real hair color).  
He took her hand and shook it. "I'm.... Odin. Odin Lowe."  
  
Lirial looked up at him and held up her puppy, "This is Hikari, I think he likes you already."  
He smiled and reached out, ruffling the pups ears. Hikari wagged his tail and licked Odin's   
fingers.   
  
Without saying much else, the three headed to Relene's and Lirial's home. 


	3. Eternal Love - Chapter 3: A Child's Ador...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any other anime story.  
Any original characters are my own property, but seeing   
as how I am on the Internet posting this, that doesn't really matter.  
  
--.. writing ..-- indicate thoughts.  
  
Eternal Love Chapter 3: A Child's Adoration  
  
  
*tap tap tap* *tap tap tap*  
  
Odin's fingers flew over the keyboard as he worked his way deeper and deeper into the Winner's  
home network, gliding as effortlessly as bird in a nice thermal. A smile hung on the edge of   
his face, belying the seriousness of the task at hand. --.. This is too easy ..-- he thought.  
--.. Only a year, and Quatre has become exceedingly lax in his security. ..--  
  
Finishing his task, he saved his work and shut down, then stood and stretched. He could hear   
Lirial downstairs sounding out new words as he had told her to do. He smiled as he came down the  
steps and saw the little girl hard at work, trying to gather as much information as her five year  
old attention span would allow.   
  
She looked up as Odin came down the steps and ran over to hug him. He hugged back, smiling, and  
petted her hair. Grabbing his hand she tugged him over to where she had been working.  
"Look Odin! I learned ten new words today!" She pointed to the places she had highlighted  
in the little dictionary he had gotten her for her fifth birthday. He smiled more  
as ne noticed all her new words were related to computers.  
"Very good Lirial, how bout we go get some icecream to celebrate, hmm?"  
  
"Yay!!!" She ran to the door and tapped her foot lightly, just like Relene did when she   
was waiting for a treat. Taking her hand they went outside and walked down the street  
to the icecream vendor who was always near bye. He smiled as he saw Lirial and Odin walking  
toward him. "Hello little miss! What can I get for you today?"  
Lirial ran the rest of the way as Odin laughed softly.   
"I want a doubled chocolate fudge ice cream cone, plaese!" she said as she got close enough for him  
to hear. He nodded smiling and got her treat.  
Happy, she walked over to 'her' bench and sat down while Odin paid for her icecream.   
"So Odin, what did she do this time to deserve a treat?"  
"She learned ten new words today Luke, computer related, and I have no doubt that she   
understands them all."   
Luke nodded, tucking a strand of black hair behind his ear. Lately, he had gotten the urge  
to grow his hair long.   
Odin shifted his weight.  
"Luke, did you know her father? I mean, since she has lived here her entire life?"  
  
Luke shook his head. "Relene brought her for icecream a lot, but her dad never did. From the bits I   
heard during those times, Lirial's father thought he was too busy and important to spend with   
his little girl. She adored him.. no, rather, I think she adored that idea of a father, because he  
was never there for her, he never acted like a father. I can tell though, she looks up to you as a  
father figure. She adores you very much. A year is a lifetime to her."  
  
Odin watched Lirial finish her icecream, then chase butterflies. She stood still, and one   
landed on her finger. Smiling she walked back over to Odin and Luke.   
"Look! I have a new friend!" They told her how happy they were for her, as she spotted her mom's  
car pulling into the drive way.  
  
"Mommy's home early!!!" She shrieked, and raced off down the side walk. Odin said goodbye to  
Luke, and followed after her.   
  
Relene got out of the car and leaned against it for a moment, holding her hand over her eyes.  
Lirial ran up to her and grabbed her for a hug. Relene moved her hand down to pat her daughters hair,  
as the girl started telling her about her new words, and icecream, and butterfly friends.   
Relene gently laid a finger to Lirial's mouth. "Lirial sweety, I need to talk to Odin for a moment, ok?  
Please go up to your room sweety." Lirial nodded, "Ok mommy!" the went to her room.   
  
Relene walked into the house, then to the kitchen. After a few moments Odin had caught up to her and   
sat down on a stool, concern shadowing his eyes. "Relene, what's wrong?"  
She smiled slightly, and shook her head saddly. "Odin... five years ago a fell in love with a man  
who seemed very kind to me. We married, and I had Lirial, and then my husband never stayed home.  
He always claimed to be to busy, and he tried to buy Lirial's love, although he rarely saw her.  
Eventually we seperated, although even now I still love him."  
  
She walked over to the window and stared outside.  
"Today I got a call at work, from Lirial's father. He said that he had figured out what was   
most important to him, and he wanted me and Lirial to give him another chance to ba a part of  
our lives. I don't know what to do..."  
  
He watched her for a few minutes as she trailed off into silence.  
Her words hurt, and he already knew what she would choose to do...  
and with Lirial's real dad back in the picture, he would no longer be needed.  
  
Reaching out, he gently put a hand on her shoulder.   
"Relene... follow your emotions and do what your heart is telling you,  
or you'll be miserable. And if he hurts Lirial... well, I'll find him and kill him."  
He offered an ironic smile, and Relene laughed softly.   
"Lirial deserves a chance to know her father, now that he wants to know us... "  
She sighed. "Odin, I'm sorry... he'll be here tomorrow, and... having both you and him here  
would be too difficult on Lirial. Please understand..."  
  
He nodded, once. "Hn. I'll be in my room packing if you need anything."  
With that, he went upstairs, to pack.  
  
An hour passed, and Lirial came into his room.  
"Odin... what are you doing?"  
"I'm packing Lirial... I've found a place of my own now, and I'm going to move there tomorrow morning."  
He lied without thinking about it too much.  
  
She looked shocked, then sad, and tears welled in her eyes.  
"Why do you have to move to your own place? Did I do something to make you angry?  
I'm trying to be as smart as I can be! I don't want you to go!  
Why can't you be my daddy?!? You're the one I love and adore, not him!  
You're always here for me!"  
  
Odin looked down at the ground. "I have a job that allows me to work from home, so I have   
a luxery your father didn't have."  
He ushered her from the room, and locked the door behind her. He walked to his bed and laid down,  
able to hear her crying perfectly. Relene came upstairs to find out what was wrong, then did  
the best to comfort her daughter.  
  
Night passed quickly, as Odin went over his profound luck this past year.  
He had a great job, and two people who loved him, even though he had to leave,  
and the love wasn't exactly the kind he had been looking for.   
Having Lirial around for a year.... that was the best part. The little girls  
simple love and single minded adoration had driven the nightmares away...  
how could he have bad dreams, when a four year old was climbing into bed with you,  
asking you to banish *her* nightmares? She had made a large difference in his life...  
  
But still, he felt wrong, restless.   
He had been right, now was the time to move on.   
At least, Lirial would have her real father to adore, instead of a substitute.   
He refused to believe that he was good enough to be his father.  
To many lives bloodied his hands....  
  



	4. Eternal Love - Chapter 4: The Beautiful ...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any other anime story.  
Any original characters are my own property, but seeing   
as how I am on the Internet posting this, that doesn't really matter.  
  
--.. writing ..-- indicate thoughts.  
  
Eternal Love - Chapter 4: The Beautiful Puppet  
  
::News Article::  
  
On September 14, AC 197, Relene Shidou and her five year old daughter Lirial,   
were sloughtered in their home by Mrs. Shidou's estranged husband, who later   
killed himself. Police reports indicate that Mr. Shidou had undergone massive  
psychotherapy for post tramatic stress syndrome related the wars 2 years ago.  
Autopsie reports indicate that Mr. Shidou, his estranged wife, and daughter,   
all had tertiary syphillus. Authorities believe that this disease made Mr.Shidou  
commit his terrible acts, even though the disease would have killed both   
Mr. and Mrs. Shidou, as well as their daughter within six months. No information  
can be found concerning the alleged house guest, Odin Lowe, who authorities believe...  
  
  
With a sigh Relena closed the the web brower where she was reading her news,  
and walked over to the window. She had begun to hate reading the news, as she  
continually saw only saddening stories that spoke of lost peace and innocence.  
All the figts were over, officially, but cruel people still exsisted in the world,  
and nothing she did stopped this for long. Lately she had begun to feel useless.  
  
--.. Perhaps my life is just a lie. True peace is so fleeting ..--  
  
  
She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. She had another meeting in a few minutes,  
and wanted to be as calm as possible. She could not let the dignitaries from   
the Moon Colony know see her looking less than her absolute most peaceful, calm, and collected.  
She took deep breaths, willing her heart to calm down.  
Something about that last name she had seen, Odin Lowe, had disturbed her... almost as if she  
knew the person the name belonged too. But these days she *knew* many people, and just as many,   
couldn't remember their names. Sighing, she walked away from the window to go to her next meeting.  
-----  
  
Several hours later the meeting finally let out, without much progress. The Moon Colonists  
wanted Relena to move the center of the Earth Federation to the moon, which she couldn't do.  
They were threatening to revolt if she didn't comply, but no one had shown any proof that   
their rebelling could do much. Chances were, that they were bluffing.   
She rubbed her temples, feeling the headache building into a migraine, and wishing  
she had some motrin on her. She was grateful to know that her dinner would be in silence,  
with no visitors unless her brother came by. Usually though, at 11pm, dinner was just usually  
Relena and her favorite picture of Heero. The thought of her beloved brought a smile to her tired   
face, and quickened her steps toward her room.  
-----  
  
In silence he watched her move, hidden safely in the shadows.   
Milliardo almost sighed at his sisters weary look, but held quiet.  
The last year had seen Relena's influence fading again, at least in the   
new colonies that had been created after the battles with Marimaia.  
She still had the grace of a Queen, and still advocated absolute peace,  
but she was getting tired of her job. Most of her power had been delegated when  
she had given up her throne, and now she was more of a puppet than she realized.  
All she really wanted was peace, and love, a family. Yet she refused to have   
anyone besides Heero, believing that he would come back to her.  
Maybe he would... but how long would Relena wait? Probably forever... but what if he didn't?  
More and more each day Relena slipped further away into her dream world, where Heero was  
with her, and with each dream she lost a little more power in the real world.  
  
He hoped that Heero would come for his sister, so she would regain herfull touch  
with reality. Finally allowing himself to sigh, Milliardo went back to his room,  
where Noin waited for him.  
-----  
  
With a smile she sat down to her meal, positioning Heero's picture where she could  
see it best. She almost started eating when her phone rang.   
With an exasperated sigh she got up to answer it.  
  
"Hello, Relena Peacecraft speaking."  
  
"Relena? Is that really you?"  
  
She blinked a few times as her mind connected the voice to her memories.  
"Hee... Heero? Yes! Of course it's me! Where are you, how are you, are you  
coming to visit, do you miss me, I dearly miss you, how are you?"  
  
She could almost here a faint chuckle in his voice.  
  
"Relena... I'm better than I was before, but not fine. I'm not going to visit now...  
I hurt too much inside still. Especially with... well, two people I had become close  
too died recently. I won't say where I am, but... I miss you too Relena. ja ne."  
  
The line went dead suddenly, and Relena stared at the phone.   
Sighing she put it back and went to her dinner again, sitting down.  
She picked up Heero's picture and kissed it lightly.  
  
--.. Heero.. Heero... ODIN LOWE! ..--  
  
With a shock she remembered when she was much younger, and meeting a boy at her school who  
stood outside the gates, watching. He had seemed lost, lonely. She had talked to him, and he  
told her that he had recently lost the only person he had ever remembered being nice to him.  
She had kissed him on the cheek and told him that she would always be nice to him, because she  
would always care about him. He had nodded slowly and told her, of course, she cared about everyone.  
She had given her name and gotten his... Odin Lowe.  
  
She started to smile again. Heero had called her... that's all that mattered.   
All else slipped from her mind, even eating. 


	5. Eternal Love - Chapter 5: The Girl Who D...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.   
  
I know, been a long time in updating my stories...   
sorry minna.   
  
  
Eternal Love - Chapter 5: The Girl Who Died   
  
  
She knelt silently on the ground, eyes closed.   
  
--Lirial Macey... who were you? What did you mean to Heero?   
I visit your grave because of him, yet I don't know why.--   
  
The sunshine slid playfully along Relena's hair, making the long   
strands appear more golden than usual. Slowly she reached out a   
pale and delicate hand, lightly touching the grave stone.   
She imagined to herself a pretty young girl, happy. With a puppy,   
of course. In her mind, the girl looked somewhat like Relena herself.   
  
A robin landed on the tombstone, near Relena's outstretched hand.   
The sun was so warm... so soothing.   
She tried to open her eyes but couldn't force herself to leave the   
impression of serenity this one small place gave her... the   
connection it brought her to Heero Yuy.   
  
Minutes passed slowly in a blissful haze.   
Her driver waited patiently, as he did every sunny day that Relena   
came here. After a few minutes longer, he sat down in the car, and picked   
a book up to read.   
  
Relena smiled slightly, feeling sleepy.   
  
--So warm... so quite.--   
  
No one noticed as she slumped forward onto the grave, and fell asleep.   
  
==========================   
  
Melodic giggling caused her to blink her eyes.   
The sun was no longer shining brightly as it had been.   
Relena glanced at her watch, only to see that the watch   
wasn't working.   
  
--I fell asleep? Oh no... Heero will think I'm weird.--   
  
As Relena lifted her head, she came face to face with a young girl.   
Her pale gold hair and lapis eyes sparkled oddly.   
She was smiling happily, a little puppy and some flowers held   
tightly in her arms. She was bent close to Relena.   
  
"Hi! Do you like my puppy? Her name is Mary."   
  
Relena blink several times, trying to adjust.   
--How odd.--   
  
"Yes, Mary is quite lovely. I'm Relena, what's your name?"   
  
The girl juggled the puppy up onto her shoulder.   
"I'm Lirial, you're very pretty Relena.   
I've noticed you come here a lot.... why?"   
  
Relena's eyes widened.   
"How did you know..."   
  
Lirial giggled.   
"I watch, you know... everyone that comes to visit me."   
With that, she touched the front of the tombstone.   
  
  
'Lirial Macey'   
  
  
She looked closely at Lirial, finally noticing that the girl   
was somewhat see through.   
  
--Oh dear...--   
  
"I come here Lirial, because a friend that I hold very dear liked to come here."   
  
  
The girl nodded.   
"Oh, you mean Heero? Yeah, he comes and visits me lots...   
I think he still feels guitly."   
She brought a transparent flower up to her nose.   
  
"well, I have to be going Miss Relena. Nice to talk to you!"   
  
With a slight wave, Lirial dissapeared.   
Relena stood, then walked back to her car looking dazed.   
The driver was still reading.   
  
"Take me home please..."   
"Yes Miss Relena."   
  
On the drive back, thoughts of Heero danced in her mind.   
What had Heero done, to make him feel guilty about this one girl?   
Why had Relena saw her today... and not before?   
  
"Oh Heero... I bet it was something awful, to keep her here..." 


	6. Eternal Love - Chapter 6: The Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing  
  
Eternal Love - Chapter 6: The Dream  
  
By Lirial Raito  
  
~~~ ~~~ dreams  
  
  
She laid down in bed and stretched as much as she could,   
and yawned. Today had been rougher than usual in dealing  
with politicians. Relena had barely been able to make   
time to actually eat lunch, and after her trip to the   
cemetary yesterday Relena was feeling drained.  
  
She fluffed her pillows and curled up, lights already   
turned off. The moon shone down into her room with a   
soothing light that made her hair look silver.   
She closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
~~~~~  
A silver bird seemed to float above her when she opened   
her eyes, then glided in patterns to the music she could   
hear somewhere in the distance. Looking around Relena   
stood in a meadow full of flowers she had never seen before.   
She bent down to smell them, each with a wonderfully unique   
scent she wished she could bottle.  
  
A small stream seemed to appear beside her the moment she   
though she was thirsty, and an apple tree appeared behind   
her in the same manner when she became hungry.   
She ate and drank without any thought to danger,   
the cool crisp flavor heavenly to her lips. She moved around   
in a circle about the meadow and a trail appeared.   
She looked down the trail and saw beautiful trees lit with   
sunlight, and feeling content walked down the offered path.   
  
As she passed through the woods she could hear birds chirping,   
but as she neared the end of the path their songs ended,   
and the trees seemed to be dead. She turned to go back where   
she had been, and found the path gone. There wasn't anything   
behind her at all, only a blank grey space that seemed as dead   
as trees now around her.   
  
She gasped as a hand took hold of hers, and looking down she   
saw a little girl that looked like Relena had as a child.   
Chibi Relena tugged on her hand again and drew her into the   
waste land ahead.  
  
After walking for endless miles the girl let go of Relena's   
hand and stepped behind her. When Relena turned around to look   
for her, she was gone. Again, the area behind her was a deathly grey color.   
  
Once more she faced ahead, only to find herself back where   
she started, in the beautiful meadow. She went to the apple tree   
and picked another piece of fruit. When she bit into the apple's   
flesh, it started to turn brown and rot. She dropped the fruit   
onto the ground with a scream.   
  
She bent down to the stream and put her hand in.  
Nothing happened so she took a drink... the water was as pure as   
before, so she drank some more. When she finished the water in the   
stream started flowing faster, and slowly became darker until   
the water became the color of blood.   
  
She scrambled away from the stream and fell into the girl from before,  
whose blue eyes were now lifeless and dull. She held up a gun and pointed it  
at Relena's head. When she fired the gun a dart hit Relena in the fore head,   
and the girl dissappeared. The flowers she had admired earlier  
began to wilt around her, filling the air with a rotting odore.   
The bird above her stopped twirling around and dove, long beak pointed at her heart.  
~~~~~~~  
  
With a small shout Relena sat up straight in bed, heart pounding.   
She patted herself down making sure she was alright, then leaned  
back into bed. She practiced breathing exercizes until her heart  
slowed down then curled back up again.  
  
--What a wierd dream--  
  
She resolutely pictured her beloved Heero in her mind before going back to sleep. 


	7. Eternal Love - Chapter 7: The Surprise V...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.  
  
Eternal Love  
  
By: Lirial Raito  
  
Chapter 7: The Surprise Visitor  
  
  
  
Candlelight was all the illuminated the figure that lay curled up on the mercenary's bed,  
  
and even after a year Duo Maxwell could tell easily who the sleeping visitor was. He  
  
shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed, gazing thoughtfully at the face of his  
  
long missing friend. Absently he tucked his ever-longer braid into his clothes where it  
  
wouldn't bother him, or Heero, by dangling in the way.  
  
  
  
The flames flickered hypnotically, casting shadows that darted across Heero's face,  
  
soothing away the coldness Duo expected to see there once he woke up. Gently he  
  
reached down and brushed a stray strand of hair from Heero's face, wondering once more  
  
what had brought the former Gundam Pilot to Duo's home, and for that matter, how he  
  
found out where Duo lived in the first place.  
  
He would have sighed, had he not know the noise would wake Heero quicker than  
  
anything else could. Duo worried even more, considering that any move toward Heero  
  
that Duo had made, from entering the room to brushing hair from his eyes, should have  
  
woken Heero up.  
  
  
  
--.. He must really be tired. but what has he been up to? I know about the woman and  
  
child he had gotten used to living with, and their deaths, but that doesn't exactly account  
  
for this. Unless he blames himself. ..-  
  
  
  
He nodded, concluding that this could be the only solution. Heero blamed himself for the  
  
deaths of more innocent people, even though by all medical accounts it certainly wasn't  
  
his fault. But Heero definitely wasn't the most rational person when it came to  
  
innocents.  
  
--.. How would I feel, if I left a woman and child that I grown to love with a man neither  
  
of them really knew anymore? Probably the same. ..-  
  
  
  
He stood and walked to the closet, pulling out a set of night clothes and extra blankets.  
  
This was Duo's house, and Duo's bed, and he wasn't going to let Heero sleep in dirty  
  
clothes.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
  
  
Bird song, and sunlight streaming through the window, woke him by nine o'clock the  
  
next morning. For a moment Heero wasn't sure where he was, until the smell of Duo's  
  
favorite foods came wafting to him.  
  
  
  
--.. I'm at Duo's. why am I here? Does he care that I came, does he want me to leave or  
  
stay? How am I going to act? ..-  
  
  
  
His mind suddenly registered the fact that he was in Duo's bed. Naked, though with a pile  
  
of blankets on top of him. --.. He stripped me down. ..-  
  
  
  
Before he could do anything to rectify his nudity the bedroom door sung open, and Duo  
  
entered, carrying a large tray with food. "Morning Heero, brought you breakfast, I've  
  
already eaten. Gotta get to work finding a missing kid, I think my clothes will fit you,  
  
rest, relax, and eat. Bye now."  
  
  
  
Just as fast Duo had set the tray of food neatly down on Heero's lap, where Heero  
  
couldn't move, and exited the room. A few seconds later and the front entrance opened  
  
and closed, and Duo had gone. Heero shook his head, wondering what Duo thought about  
  
having him here. but his stomach grumbled too loudly for him to ponder it much  
  
longer, and he tucked into the food the way Duo used to.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
Safely out of Heero's hearing range, since he really did have to get started on his current  
  
case, Duo pulled out his cell phone and dialed Trowa's number. Trowa would be the  
  
most discrete person to tell about Heero's sudden appearance, and he wouldn't tell  
  
Quatre, and more importantly, he wouldn't tell Relena.  
  
  
  
The blond headed woman had been calling everyday for the past three months, asking  
  
him to find Heero, and every day Duo refused.  
  
  
  
He certainly didn't want her to show up at his home.  
  
  
  
The call didn't take more than a minute to finish, and Duo pondered his own feelings and  
  
reactions to Heero showing up so suddenly. He certainly felt sorry for Heero, losing to  
  
people he loved. Duo had always known that Heero would have a hard time loving  
  
anyone, ever, and this blow could ensure that he never loved anyone again.  
  
--.. I certainly hope that isn't that case. then he'll never love. BAKA! Duo, get those  
  
thoughts outta your head now! If he falls for anyone, it'll be Relena. After all, she does  
  
look like the woman who died, Relene. Still, maybe. no! baka, baka, baka! Just focus  
  
on your job, and forget those warm fuzzy feelings you're getting! ..--  
  
  
  
But acting on his self admonitions to forget that protective, loving feeling he had for  
  
Heero proved impossible for the rest of the day. And the next, and the next, and the  
  
next.  
  
= = = = = = = = = = = =  
  
To Be Continued: I promise! I will finish this story! But please, review and tell me what  
  
you think about it. and vote. Should Heero end up with Relena, or Duo? It could go  
  
either way right now. 


End file.
